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Foreign tourist arrivals remain flat at 1 million in September
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A foreign visitor joins local residents in coral reef conservation efforts on Menjangan Kecil islet in Karimunjawa, Central Java, on Oct. 21. (Antara Photo/Yusuf Nugroho)
F
oreign tourist arrivals numbered about 1 million in September, almost the same as the previous two months' figures, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) said on Tuesday.
BPS head Suhariyanto said foreign tourist arrivals from January to September reached 7.78 million, a 10.53 percent increase from the same period last year.
The double-digit increase in foreign tourist arrivals during the nine-month period was partly due to the government’s aggressive tourism campaign overseas, he said.
The government boosted the Tourism Ministry’s budget from Rp 300 billion (US$22.9 million) in 2015 to Rp 6.1 trillion in 2016, partly to finance tourism campaigns abroad. Around 80 percent of the budget is allocated for tourism promotion.
"We might see lower figures in October, November due to seasonal factors. Hopefully it will not be less than 1 million, and in December tourist numbers will increase again following the holiday season," he said at a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Bali welcomed the most foreign tourists, with 3.59 million from January to September, a 22.66 percent increase compared to the same period last year. Many of the visitors came from China, Singapore and Malaysia. (dmr)
